EASTER EGGS

EPISODE 01: HEROES

The opening scene is a nod to the Halo machinima, Red vs Blue

The Blue and Yellow Knight are also a nod to the Halo machinima, Red vs Blue meant to represent my favorite along with Adam’s, which is why they’re colored after Griff (the orange knight) and Caboose (the blue knight). Even the Knight’s names are connected to the characters, Gariff and Kaboose (respectively)

EPISODE 02: 20K?!?

The name of Peter’s Uncle’s Inn is called The Red Dragon Inn, which is a reference to an old BBS ASCII game called Legend of the Red Dragon (sometimes called L.O.R.D.)

The line about them becoming infamous (and thinking it’s a good thing) is a reference to the movie The Three Amigos

The Dragon of Silverlake; Silverlake is one of the locations in the racing game, Burn Out

EPISODE 03: COME ON BABY, LIGHT MY FIRE.

The title of the episode is a reference to the song by The Doors

On the HD version, the map that Grayson looks at; the Dragon home is a reference to Sierra On-Line‘s logo

EPISODE 04: A WALK IN THE WOODS.

The reference to the drawing of the one-eyed elf, with the wisp of hair, is a reference to my inability to draw ElfQuest characters, except for one character (Cutter), who I always draw with hair over one of his eyes, since I can never get the eyes to look symmetrical

EPISODE 05: YE SALTY DOG

The name of the town, Galana, was randomly selected by spinning a globe of the Earth. Galana is an actual city located in Greece.

The song Peter begins to sing about “Dating a girl from Galana” is a reference to the Copacabana song

Poppy the Salt Vendor; all of the notable characters that Peter and Grayson run into have traits based off the people that voice them. In the case of Poppy, who voices Poppy the Salt Vendor, is Poppy’s love of salt

EPISODE 06: HE’S A MAGIC MAN

The title of the episode is a reference to the Heart song Magic Man

Alan the Astounding’s trait of drinking and passing out, comes from an incident on a cruise where Chad (who voices Alan) had tried to out drink me, and while leaving the bar, passed out in mid stride. (Don’t worry, other than his pride, not much else was banged up)

EPISODE 07: THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO BOOM!

The title is a reference to C+C Music Factory’s song Things That Make You Go, Hmm

The multiple shot of the “Ice Cube Monster” (Gelatinous Cube) exploding is a nod to the general anime cartoons that would frequently show planets, ships, etc blowing up – all from different points of view

EPISODE 08: ON BORROWED GOLD

When Grayson asks Peter to explain again what he did to make the Ice Cube Monster explode, was a reference to my inability to read the line from Episode 07 (there’s about 30 out takes of me reading that line)

Amiee the Armorer is a clothes vendor, because of her love of shopping for clothes

The original voice actor of this episode who played the weapon vendor, was known for making odd, inappropriate remarks, which is why the lines originally had the overly sexual innuendos (originally called Eric the Elongated, then later recast with another voice actor, with the name changed to Ronald the Wreckless)

EPISODE 10: RACIAL BENEFITS

Peter refers to the “Ice Cube Monster” as the “Oshaw Monster” which is a reference to Dan from Street Fighter who yells “O-Shaw!” when he blasts a fireball from his hands. (Dan is a favorite of mine from Street Fighter because of how utterly useless he is)

The discussion between Peter, Grayson and Pawl about hearing and seeing things, is obviously a reference to Racial Benefits from Dungeons & Dragons

Albert, Bob, and Charlie go searching for Dink. Many of characters that were voice by me, Adam and Paul, were named by the alphabet (Albert, Bob, Charlie, and Dink). This trick continued throughout the series

The goblins introduce the saying, “That Kicks Rocks!” This was a nod to our good friend Sara, who one day had meant to say, “That kicks @$$” or “That rocks!” – but it came out as “That kicks rocks!” We all laughed about how that was the ultimate in being cool. We used it in the series to represent just that

Ironically, when Neverending Nights was originally released, despite Albert’s protest that the saying would never take off, it actually did quite well

EPISODE 12: WHERE THERE’S SMOKE…

Pawl the Dorf mentions that his parents took him to the human city of Arkania, which is a reference to Sir-Tech’s game(s) Realms of Arkania

The line, “I kind of freak out, during claustrophobic times” is a reference to The Blair Thumb (which has the line, “I kind of freak out… during scary times.”)

Careful observers would notice the entire time, Peter, Grayson and Pawl are discussing lighting a fireplace, you can see several fires lit in the background

EPISODE 13: IN & OUT, A HERO’S TALE

The title is a reference to one of the most inspiring books of my life. J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, which was also known as There And Back Again, A Hobbit’s Tale

The line “Funny ha-ha or funny weird?” is a reference to Sling Blade

The name of the talking sword is “Pat” (which stands for Paul, Adam, Tawmis)

Pawl the Dorf mentions the name of the desert as “Arreis Desert” which is simply Sierra spelled backwards, which is another reference to Sierra On-Line

EPISODE 14: HERE COMES THE SAND AGAIN

The title is a reference to the song Here Comes The Rain Again by the Eurythmics

Grayson makes a “religious” statement of saying, “By the goddess, Nen!” The goddess’ name is the acronym standing for Neverending Nights. The show was often abbreviated as NeN

EPISODE 15: REACH OUT WITH YOUR FEELINGS

The title is obviously a reference to Star Wars

The line that Grayson shouts, “For the love of all sacrificed badgers” is a reference to how we originally filmed that scene (having the green slime attack a badger)

Alan the Astounding mentions that he wants to get his revenge; he was originally slated to join Andrea the Assassin (in Episode 17), but due to scheduling conflicts Chad (who voices Alan the Astounding) could not commit, so I created a new character (Daniel the Destructive, voice by Mario)

The statues that Peter and Grayson are standing between when Peter begins summoning an animal companion is a reference to a pose Adam used to do that was dubbed “BGA”

The pig (Pigwin) is named after one of the users on our forum when we started the series, who was very active on the forums

Peter has the line, “I hate when they do that walking against the wind stuff” which is a reference to one of my favorite movies, The Crow

EPISODE 16: DESSERT CITY

The name of the town is Ator, which is Rota backwards (as in Rota, Spain) where I was born

When Mark recorded his lines, he used the generic laptop mic, which gave it a hollow sound; this is why his character (the guard at the city of Ator) has a helmet, since it sounds like he’s speaking from inside a helmet

The quests the guards mentioned (rescue a damsel in distress, find a lost artifact, slay a dragon) were intentionally mentioned; because in the Dungeon Magazine guideline, it specifically mentions not writing those modules. Those same things were the basis of Neverending Nights (Season 1, slay the dragon; Season 2, save a damsel in distress; Season 3, find/fix a lost artifact)

This episode introduces Lady Lorraine (voiced by Karen) and her son, Conner. I had met Karen while playing World of Warcraft when she joined the guild I was a part of. She and I managed to partner up quite a bit and found a lot of mischief (doing PvP randomly, or falling off cliffs). She is proof that you can meet someone online and develop a strong and lasting friendship

Lady Lorraine mentions the story of a hero named “Madasiwat” which is “Adam” and “Tawmis” spelled backwards

It becomes more obvious that there’s a clue being given to the viewers, as the characters keep saying, “The only way to kill the Dragon down at Silverlake is to use this…” and they keep getting cut off

This episode also establishes the question of whether the Dragon of Silverlake was truly killed, or if it’s still alive, luring foolish adventurers (this becomes very important in Season 3)

EPISODE 17: HEROES BAR & KEEP

This video introduces Madame Rainbow (voiced by Bethany)

This episode also introduces Andrea the Assassin (originally voiced by Christi). Due to conflicting schedules, Andrea the Assassin would later (in Season 2 and 3) be voiced by Amanda

The weapon vendor (originally Eric the Elongated, and later renamed to Ronald the Wreckless) was killed by Andrea (because of the original conflict of schedule of the original voice actor; we figured we’d never use the weapon vendor again, so we killed him off)

EPISODE 18: PEPPER FLAVORED

Poppy the Salt Vendor’s Salt Route:

Galana (we already know that’s a city in Greece)

City of Neverending (the city named after the series, where it all began)

Logue Bario (the last name of me and my wife)

Port Yhni (my wife’s first name)

Port Freese (Adam’s last name)

Helene Township (Brandi’s first name)

The name of the salt, Fitch’s Gourmet Salt (Fitch being Poppy’s last name)

EPISODE 19: A LITTLE MAGIC

As noted in Episode 15, the one who was originally slated to join Andrea the Assassin was Alan the Astounding, but due to lack of time, Chad could not commit. This is why you see Daniel essentially on the pier where Andrea was (and Alan no longer in sight). Originally, Alan was going to wake up from passing out (in Episode 15) and meet Andrea, and join her in her quest to find Peter and Grayson

Daniel the Destructive is voiced by Mario, who always plays a “magic” class when playing Dungeons & Dragons, and is easily distracted by “shiny” things, and thinks everything’s great and awesome; so that’s what Daniel’s personality quirk is developed from (an exaggerated version)

The line, “There are worse things than undead out tonight… me.” is a reference to the line from the first Blade movie (“There are worse things out tonight than vampires … me.”)

The Eye Tyrant’s line of “None shall pass” is clearly a reference to Monty Pyton Quest for the Holy Grail from the scene with King Arthur and the Black Knight

The entire episode emphasizes “death” throughout; Grayson believes they’re going to die when they encounter the Dragon; Daniel & Andrea discuss the undead curse for the Plains of Desolation; as well as the Eye Tyrant threatening death to them when they approach him; and Pawl the Dorf meets his end.

EPISODE 21: ACCUMULATION.

The episode, entitled “accumulation” goes through all the “characters” who have appeared in the series so far

Throughout the series, the “yellow and blue” gems can be seen; they’re seen outside the dragon’s doors; they’re seen inside the dragon’s cave; they’re seen when we see the spirit of the weapon vendor; they obviously symbolize Peter (yellow) and Grayson (blue)

The goblins continue to break the 4th Wall (and make reference to their popularity on the forums that we once hosted on the site)

Peter mentions reading the book The Art of War which is a book written by Sun Tzu; who (get ready), in my youth I had never heard of until playing the Brøderbund Software game, Ancient Art of War (anyone else remember that game?). Ironically, the two who made the game (Dave & Barry Murry) who would go on to work for Sierra On-Line and create Man Hunter: New York and Man Hunter: San Francisco; and by now you should already know my infatuation with Sierra On-Line games.

Dean the Dragon’s line at the end, asking “Who dares disturb my slumber?” is a reference to Disney’s Aladdin, during the Cave of Wonders scene (“Who disturbs my slumber?”)

Grayson’s response, “I immediately regret this decision!” is a reference to Anchorman.

EPISODE 22: THIS IS ‘DRAGON’ ON TOO LONG

If it’s not painfully obvious; the title is a pun intending to say “This is draggin’ on too long”

Peter mentions he read a book called The Dragonspear Chronicles written by Wickman & Heiss; this is a reference to The Dragonlance Chronicles written by Hickman & Weiss (the first letter of their last names were swapped for our oh so subtle reference)

The name that the Dragon mentions as the ruler of Blackmire City is named “Khan Shao” which is a reference to the Mortal Kombat character, Shao Khan.

EPISODE 24: THE WATCHFUL EYE

The blue and white map that Peter and Grayson are given for the cavern is a reference to the old school D&D maps that came with modules for 1st and 2nd Edition D&D (this Easter Egg is in the HD version only)

The skulls around the Drider and Duegar names on the map are the logo of my other side project, PirateBooty.net.

EPISODE 25: THE NEW RECRUITS

Albert, Bob, Charlie, Dink, and Ellen are obvious parodies of Grayson, Pawl the Dorf, Peter, Daniel and Andrea, even their conversations mimic conversations (and jokes) previously seen in episodes by their counterparts (such as the discussion in this episode, as to what side of a wall moss grows on)

Daniel’s spell is his voice reversed saying, “I summon forth, from the deepest, darkest places of Hell itself, and summon forth a demon to slay all those would oppose me!”

When the Earth Elemental is summoned, several goblins can be heard saying, “Earth Elemental wins – fatality.” This of course is a reference to Mortal Kombat.

One of the goblins can be heard saying, “I’m half a body guy!” This is a reference to The Blair Thumb (yes, Thumb – watch it, trust me!)

A goblin who says, “This doesn’t even seem physically -” but dies before he completes his sentence is making a reference to Red vs Blue where one of them says, “This doesn’t even seem physically possible!”

The goblins, throughout the series, break the 4th Wall, acknowledging that they’re actors in a show (for example, when Bob explains that they’re only Minor Characters and not Supporting Cast).

EPISODE 26: REUNITED (AND IT FEELS SO GOOD)

The title of the episodes comes straight from the Peaches & Herb song Reunited

The Irish song that Pawl the Dorf is heard singing Drunken Sailor – there was a band that Adam and Paul knew who did the cover here in San Diego (I’ve long since forgotten the name of the band)

EPISODE 27: EVEN GHOSTS GET RACIAL BENEFITS

Star Wars reference right off the bat, with Daniel saying he’s never see a place of retched hive and villainy

Pawl the Dorf can be heard singing the lyrics to Drunken Lullabies by the band Flogging Molly

EPISODE 28: THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

Peter takes several references to movies that have ghosts (“I see dead people” – from Sixth Sense, in the original version during the fade out, you can hear Peter ask, “Who you gonna call?” and Grayson says, “Call for what?” And Peter simply shouts, “Ghostbusters!” a reference, of course, to Ghostbusters)

EPISODE 29: THE PLAN

Another one that has a Star Wars reference when the bartender tells Andrea and Daniel that the goblins will have to wait outside; it’s a reference to A New Hope when Luke and Ben are told that the droids (C3-PO and R2-D2) must wait outside.

The Blade reference of “There are worse things out there tonight” joke is reused (and called out by Daniel as already having been used)

This is one of the few times where you see the main characters breaking the 4th wall like goblins frequently do, as they poke fun at the bad writers. The “bad writers” is even a Easter Egg of it’s own. Back in the day there was a magazine published called Dungeon Magazine – and I had hoped to one day submit an adventure for the magazine and get it published (I submitted two, both of which, sadly were declined). But when I began plotting what the series should be about; Dungeon Magazine in their submission guide literally has a thing that says “Do not do these 7 generic adventures” – and I thought, “This will be fun to make the story revolve around these cliche’ story ideas!” So technically, I was being a “bad writer” by doing the 7 generic stories (each one was supposed to be their own season; slay a dragon, rescue a maiden in distress, recover a lost artifact, etc) – but as you know (probably by now), I crunched it down to three seasons.

EPISODE 30: GOOD ELF, BAD ELF

The title is a reference to the saying, “Let’s do the good cop/bad cop thing.”

At the 3:06 mark, you can see one of the invisible camera men being killed by the Dwarves. (That was not an intended Easter Egg…)

Peter manages to pull 50gp pieces from his pouch, despite that they’re always struggling for money; there’s a reason for that, as it continues to happen throughout the series, until the truth is revealed.

At the end when the Resurrection Priest is speaking to Dean the Dragon (while in Human form), their conversation is based on the conversation between Obi Wan and Yoda, from Star Wars when Obi Wan’s spirit says that Luke is their last hope, and Yoda says (like Dean the Dragon), No, there is another. This is setting up the surprise for the end of Season 2.

EPISODE 31: SIDE EFFECTS … MAY VARY.

The girl in the beginning who wishes her mother to return safely from her Salt Route is a reference to Poppy the Salt Vendor, and the young girl voicing that young girl is Poppy’s daughter in real life.

The idea of taking coins from the wishing well corrupting dreams/wishes comes from a short story I wrote way back in the 6th grade called Wish You Well. (What do you expect for a story title from a 6th grader?)

The creatures that Poppy the Salt Vendor runs into in the desert are the same creatures Peter the Ranger was summoning in Episode 15.

When Pawl the Dorf’s spirit jumps into Bob the Goblin’s body, it’s a reference to the fact that Pawl voices both characters; but we had him specifically do Pawl the Dorf’s accent while in Bob the Goblin.

EPISODE 32: EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

In the HQ Version Only – both Peter and Grayson go to sit in the same seat (one looks like a throne, the other a seashell) and Peter gets to the throne chair first, forcing Grayson to sit in the less masculine looking chair (because, Peter, in his head, thinks of himself as a great hero by this point – he did, after all, kill the Ice Cube Monster).

All of the mercenaries were originally male roles; and switched to females when we cast the voices. Because the mercenaries were all supposed to be male, originally, you will catch Peter and Grayson refering to “him” but we excuse it as “‘im” (abbrivated from ‘him’).

The first one, Henretta was originally Harold. To show that she is indeed crazy (not just because she talks to her axe, the same way that Grayson talks to his sword), she’s voice by two people (Amiee and Myoki) with their pitch slowed way down to give it a weird sound.

The second (nameless) mercenary is voiced by Myoki, as is the third, and even Evil Foo (the one Peter and Grayson eventually hire).

Evil Foo is a reference (her speech) not just to any “stereotypical” Asian accent, but is actually meant to reference Kim Chan who plays “Uncle Benny” in Lethal Weapon 4 (and if you know me, you know how much I love Lethal Weapon!) The whole “Is your name Evil Fool?” “No, it’s Evil Foo!” is a reference to the rice scene.

We see Poppy the Salt Vendor asking if they needed Salt, so we know that she makes it to Blackmire City, where her daughter is, from the previous episode.

Once again, Peter mysteriously pulls out 300gp to pay Evil Foo, and once again, Grayson asks how he keeps doing that.

EPISODE 33: THERE BE PIRATES!

The entire episode is basically an excuse for me to do something with pirates. One of my favorite things to do on Halloween is to dress up in my pirate attire.

This episode is the debut of Jamie King as the “Chambermaid”

The story (fictional, obviously) that Peter tells to “impress” the Chambermaid (hoping she would go on to tell others what great heroes they were) takes place in the Scarasea Oceans. Scara was Sara’s nickname (if I remember correctly), and as previously mentioned, she was the one who (accidentally) came up with the That Kicks Rocks phrase. So it’s her name we’re using for the ocean. I added some humor (in my mind) by adding sea to it – because it’s obviously the ocean (so the name is effectively the Scara Sea Oceans) which is repetitive.

Like Peter’s tale, Peter’s voice/accent is clearly way over the top

EPISODE 34: BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE

Let’s be real. This is essentially a filler episode. But why?

The dog that you hear in this episode (Pawl the Dorf) is my dog, Odin.

I had wanted to find a way to include Odin in the series, so I wrote the episode of Pawl being resurrected as a Dog. I figured that would be a great way to include Odin (by getting him to bark) and also to play up Peter’s ability to “Speak with Animals.”

There’s two versions of this episode – one without subtitles, and one with. I’d recommend the one with subtitles, so you get what’s being “said” as Pawl the Dorf is in the canine form.

EPISODE 37: CRIME DOES NOT PAY

The “Oh my God! You killed Ellen and Dink! You Bastard!” is clearly a reference to South Park whenever Kenny gets killed (Cartman, Stan and Kyle say, “Oh my God! You killed Kenny! You bastard!”)

When Albert says, “Two friends of ours just got themselves perished!” is a reference to The Crow when T-Bird tells Top Dollar, “I got trouble. One of my crew got himself perished.”